In court documents obtained by ET on Tuesday, the lawyer cited irreconcilable differences.
Thomas Girardi has responded to Erika Jayne's petition for divorce.
In court documents obtained by ET on Tuesday, the lawyer listed their date of separation as "TBD" and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
The court docs reveal that Thomas is also asking to terminate the court's ability to award spousal support to Erika and that his estranged wife pay his attorney's fees.
As ET previously reported, Erika, 49, filed for divorce from Thomas, 81, on Nov. 3, also listing the date of separation as "TBD" and citing irreconcilable differences. In her filing, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star requested spousal support from Thomas and asked the court to terminate its ability to award spousal support to him. In addition, she asked that Thomas pay all attorney's fees.
"After much consideration I have decided to end my marriage to Tom Girardi," Erika, who was married to Thomas for 21 years, shared in a statement to ET at the time. "This is not a step taken lightly or easily. I have great love and respect for Tom and for our years and the lives we built together."
"It is my absolute wish to proceed through this process with respect and with the privacy that both Tom and I deserve," the statement continued. "I request that others give us that privacy as well."
Earlier this month, ET reported that Erika and Thomas are facing allegations of embezzlement in a new lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by law firm Edleson PC in an Illinois federal court, on behalf of several families who lost loved ones in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, which occurred in October 2018.
Thomas allegedly embezzled settlement money that was supposed to go to the family members of the victims. The lawyer and his estranged wife are accused of using that money to fund their own lavish lifestyles and allegedly pay off loans to keep Thomas' law firm afloat.
That lawsuit further claims that Thomas and Erika's recent split and divorce filing is an attempt to fraudulently hide assets from collectors.
"While Erika publicly filed for divorce this month, on information and belief, that 'divorce' is simply a sham attempt to fraudulently protect Tom's and Erika's money from those that seek to collect on debts owed by Tom and his law firm," the lawsuit alleges.
ET has reached out to Thomas and Erika for comment. More on that story here.
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